Answer for Oral Question PL068

QUESTION

Yang Berhormat Awang Haji Mohamad Danial @ Tekpin bin Ya'akub

YANG BERHORMAT AWANG HAJI MOHAMAD DANIAL @ TEKPIN BIN YA'AKUB asked MENTERI DI JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI to state how the Government formulates its green economy policies to create new employment opportunities, encourage local innovation and protect the environment in the long term.

ANSWER

Yang Berhormat Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri

The Government formulates green economy policies strategically and in an integrated manner, in line with the direction of the Brunei Economic Blueprint and the implementation of the Industry Roadmap for the country’s five priority sectors. This approach aims to ensure sustainable economic growth, generate new employment opportunities and encourage local innovation without compromising environmental sustainability.

Among the key measures are the development of the Brunei Green Economy Framework and the preparation of a Sustainability Roadmap towards achieving the Net Zero Carbon Emission target. This initiative focuses on the development of low-carbon energy and industrial sectors, including the exploration of opportunities in green technology, energy efficiency and carbon management. These efforts are also supported by the Brunei Darussalam National Climate Change Policy (Brunei Darussalam National Climate Change Policy – BNCCP), which provides a comprehensive direction towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy, in line with the country’s commitments under the Paris Agreement. In addition to reducing carbon emissions through the energy transition and the development of low-carbon industries, this approach also emphasises climate change adaptation through the implementation of the National Adaptation Plan (National Adaptation Plan – NAP) to strengthen the resilience of the economic sectors, communities and environment against the impacts of climate change.

The initiatives referred to include improving efficiency in terms of energy demand and supply; using alternative and cleaner energy sources; and incorporating low-carbon solutions, or low carbon solutions, into the concept of industrial clusters. In addition, sustainability elements are also integrated into the development of the food, ICT, services, and oil and gas downstream sectors through the adoption of technology and innovation, as well as improvements in resource efficiency.

In the short and medium term, several new projects are being developed, including large-scale solar energy projects in Sungai Liang and Kampong Belimbing, which commenced construction in 2025 and 2026 respectively. Efforts are also being made to explore the production of low-carbon downstream products such as green hydrogen, green ammonia and green methanol by leveraging the existing capabilities in the country’s energy and industrial sectors.

Emphasis is also being placed on empowering MSMEs and start-ups so that they can participate in the green economy value chain, thereby creating high-skilled employment opportunities for local people. In line with this direction, workforce readiness to support the low-carbon economy is being strengthened through the Skills and Capacity for Alternative Low-Carbon Energy (SCALE) Framework, which is aligned with the Green Education Plan and implemented together with MISC-Energy to align the energy sector’s skills requirements with workforce, education and training planning, so that our local people are prepared to seize value-added employment opportunities. Industrial training opportunities are also being provided through renewable energy projects, including the placement of IBTE and Politeknik Brunei trainees at the 30MW solar energy project in Kampong Belimbing, providing practical exposure to the installation, operation and maintenance of utility-scale solar systems.

The Government is also developing clear policies and legislation to enable the country to regulate, monitor and enforce activities under green economy initiatives; utilise various financing streams such as green financing and energy pricing as key enablers for the economic transition towards a green economy; establish partnerships with the private sector or multilateral organisations (multi-lateral organisation) to help enhance Brunei’s green efforts, such as attracting FDI to develop green industries; develop infrastructure to increase renewable energy capacity (renewable energy) and waste management infrastructure (waste management), which will also enable other green opportunities; and increase capacity in R&D and workforce skills, which will help attract investment to achieve efficient and high-quality production.

Overall, the country’s green economy policy is formulated as a long-term transformation strategy that balances economic growth with environmental protection, in line with the aspirations of Wawasan Brunei 2035.